-e e----- NEWS SERVICE OF THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION 127 NINTH AVE., N.. NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE AL 4-'631 Theo Sommerkamp, Assistant Director Indiana To Publish Monthljr State Paper PLAINFIELD; Ind.~-(BP)--Southern their own, starting in July. monthly. Baptists in Indiana will have a state paper of The new, four-page Indiana Baptist will be published The executive board of the State Convention of Baptists in Indiana voted to establish the paper at its June session here. E. Harmon Moore of Plainfield, the conventionr s executive secretary, will edit the paper. Indiana Southern Baptists have been without a paper of their own since they left the ranks of general associations in Illinois and Kentucky last fall to form a separate convention. Convention leaders estimated the new Indiana Baptist will have a circulation of from 5000 to 7000. In other action at the June meeting the executive board: Called Miss Louise Berge, graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological seminary, Fort Worth, Tex., as its first Woman r s Missio:oary Union secretary. Miss Berge served for nearly three years in the'promotion department of the SOuthern Baptist Convention Home Mission Board. Elected L. L. Daye, pastor, Plainfield Baptist Church, as area missionary in the southeast section of Indiana, with his home at Rushville. Contracted with Broadway Bond Plan of Houston, Tex., for the convention, under certain terms, to guarantee bonds issued under this plan for church enlargement. The plan is especially designed for new churches but may be used by any co-operating church. Set a $5000 goal for the fall state mission offering, the objective of which will be a Baptist office property and building. Queried the Baptist Sunday School Board, Nashville, about establishing a l300k Store in Indiana. Granted its first loan for a church site to First Southern Baptist Church, Marion, Ind., making possible the purchase of a 3-acre site. Chose Walter R. DaVis, pastor, First Southern Baptist Church, Hammond, Ind., as new chairman of the executive board succeeding W. W. Rhody who has been employed as a department secretary by the board. Tennessee Board Votes To Aid Montana Work NASHVILLE--(BP)--Tennessee Baptist Convention's executive board voted here to aid Southern Baptist work in Montana from money received in its state missions offering Oct. 25. At the June session, the board also assigned to its three hospital administrators and executive secretary the working out of details for group insurance for pastors and employees of Tennessee Baptist churches., While the state convention's special survey committee had no progress report to the board, the committee restated its plan to report to the convention at the tall session in Gatlinburg, Tenn. A copy of its report will be printed later in the state Baptist paper, Baptist and Reflector. -more-
2 Baptist Press The board also voted to share on a half-and-half basis the cost of property for a Baptist student center at East Tennessee State College, Johnson City. Holston Association of churches will furnish the other half. All received over $5000 will be placed in a special church-lot fund. Money from this fund is used to buy lots for new missions of Baptist churches in the state, the emphasis being a part of the nationwide movement to establish 30,000 new Southern Baptist missions or churches. Cooperative Program receipts for state and Southern Baptist Convention activities through April 30 were $1,563,553. This compares with $1,430,807 at the same date in 1958. 'I'he convention's fiscal year starts in November. Folks & facts Mrs. C. o. Smith, Moultrie, Ga., was honored by Tift College, Forsyth, Ga., with a citation in recognition of her years of devoted service to the college. She is currently serving as president of the Georgia Baptist Woman's Missionary Union and as Vice-president of the Southern Baptist Woman's Missionary Union. The Methodist Church's receipts for its general benevolence and administrative funds during the fiscal year ended May 31 totalled $23,699,248, up 4.92 per cent over the previous fiscal year. World service, largest and most basic of the funds, received $11,908,884 of this amount, yet this was a decline of 0.27 per cent over world service receipts for the previous year. Prominent Carolina Layman, Culler, Dead The first $5000 received from churches in the October state missions offering will be used to aid Southern Baptist work in Montana. The money will be sent through the Colorado Baptist General Convention, which covers a six-state area including Montana. -.0- HIGH POINT, N. C.--(BP)--Roy B. Culler, Sr., 58, one of the state's most prominent Baptist laymen, died suddenly of a heart attack here June 10. At the Louisville Convention which he and his wife attended, Culler was elected a memoer of the Southern Baptist Home Mission Board. At the time of his death, he was also a trustee and member of the executive committee of Mars Hill (N.C.) College. His other denominational positions have included membership on the state convention's general board and the board of the state Baptist children's homes. He and Mrs. Culler recently gave an $80,000 cottage to the children's home at Thomasville. The Cullers were planning a trip to Glorieta, N. M., assembly this summer to attend a meeting of the Home Mission Board. They planned to go from there to Alaska to visit mission points. Last year they made an extensive mission tour of the Orient and Southeast Asia. A furniture manufacturer, CUller was honored at a surprise testimonal dinner in April on the 25th anniversary of his firm's organization.
Executive Committee Appointments Announced 3 Baptist Press For Release: Wed., June 17 NASHVILLE--(BP)--Chairmen and members of five standing committees of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention have been named. Appointments were announced at Executive Committee offices here by Kendall Berry of Blytheville, Ark., chairman of the Executive Committee. Administrative Committee---J. Ralph Grant, Lubbock, Tex., chairman; James Abernathy, Albuquerque, N. M.; Lester Bates, Columbia, S. C.; Clare C. Clark, Shreveport, La.; Charles E. Curry, Kansas City, Mo.; A. Barnum HaWkes, Waycross, Ga.; Frank A. Hooper, Atlanta, Ga.; Mercer C. Irwin, Bogalusa, La.; B. J. t~rtin, Pasadena, Tex., and A. Leroy Parker, Greensboro, N. C. Finance Committee---W. Curtis English, Altavista, Va., chairman; Carr P. Collins, Dallas, Tex.; L. K. Edwards, Jr., Irvine, Fla.; Hobart H. Grooms, Birmingham, Ala.; Haskell McClain, Oklahoma City, Okla.; Carl G. McCraw, Charlotte, N. C.; Walter L. Moore, Meridian, Miss.; Frank F. Norfleet, Paducah, Ky.; Perry F. Webb, Sr., San Antonio, Tex., and James P. Wesberry, Atlanta, Ga. Program Committee---Herschcl H. Hobbs, Oklahoma City, Okla., chairman; W. A. Buckner, Desloge, Mo.; A. Judson Burrell, Columbus, Ga.; J. Carroll Chadwick, Center, Tex.; Owen Cooper, Yazoo City, Miss.; John H. Haldeman, Miami, Fla.; James W. Merritt, Gainesville, Ga.; W. R. Pettigrew, LOUisville, Kyv ; Harold \-1. Seever, Mobile, Ala.; Homer H. \,jaldrop, Jackson, 'Iermv ; James M. Windham, Maryville, 'Ierm;, and Alvin O. West, Washington, D. C. Stewardship Committee---Mrs. Gordon Maddrey, Ahoskie, N. C., chairman; Rang Morgan, Wichita, Kans.; Ed J. Packwood, Phoenix, Ariz.; Ramsey Pollard, Knoxville, Tenn.; Hugh Van Eaton, Jasper, Ala.; Charles R. Walker, Carterville, Ill., and Philip H. Wilson, Glasgow, Ky. Public Relations Committee---R. Archie Ellis, Columbia, S. C., chairman; Wayne Dehoney, Jackson, Tenn.; Clyde V. Hickerson, Richmond, Va.; Mrs. R. L. Mathis, Waco, Tex.; Charles L. McClain, Long Beach, Calif.; W. D. Morris, Wilmington, N. C.; R. L. South, N. Little Rock, Ark., and F. Ralph Swanson, Baltimore, Vd. Promotion Committee---R. Archie ElliS, chairman; committee comprised of members of both public relations and stewardship committees. EDITORS: Note release date above story only is June 17.
Braille Baptists Helps Blind In L~adership PRODUCEDt BAPTIST PRESS NEWS SERVICE OF THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION 127 NINTH AVE.. N.. NASHVILLE. TENNESSEE AL 4-1631 Thee Semmerkamp, Assistant Director NAGHVILLE--(BP)--A blind man teaches a Sunday school class every Sunday morning. A sightless woman, well-informed about Baptist life and doctrine, is one of the most active Sunday school and Training Union members in her church. She also leads a circle in Woman's Missionary Union. A girl has not let her lack of vision prevent her from enjoying sacred hymn; tunes on her home piano. These are three typical subcribers to the Braille Baptist, a monthly magazine of the Baptist Sunday School Board in NashVille. It is provided without cost to the blind. Uncle Sam even chips in. Free material for the blind may be sent through the U. S. mails without postage charge, and since the Braille Baptist has no subcription charge, it is eligible for this mailing privilege. Features of this monthly periodical, one of several edited under the supervision of Donald F. Ackland, NashVille, are the weekly Sunday school lessons and Training Union programs, the hymn tune of the month, excerpts from the Commission and Home Missions magazines to keep the blind aware of Southern Baptist missionary efforts, and news items of interest about the Southern Baptist Convention. lithe purpose of the Braille Baptist is to enable its readers to take part actively in their churches, and to have an intelligent understanding of our denominational life," according to the editor. Ackland, who does not read Braille--the language or the blind--himself, remarks, "It's the one publication I edit which I can't proofread." The Amer1canPrinting House for the Blind in Louisville, Ky., one of the largest producers of Braille materials in the country, "prints" the raised dot patterns OI' Braille letters and numbers from copy supplied by Ackland. The editor adds that while the Eraille Baptist's circulation (being a specialized magazine) is not nearly as great as that of some other publications he edits, it draws more letters of appreciation--"fan mail," if you will. As an added evidence that the blind, with the aid of material adapted especially for them, may lead the blind--and even the sighted--the Braille Baptist is sent on request to a number of blind Baptist ministers. Several of them have written in to tell the editor how articles in the Braille magazine help them prepare their sermons.
Baptist Press Cutlines PROMOTION ASSISTANT---Robert G. Capra has been elected assistant director of Cooperative Program promotion for the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, Nashville. Capra, whose new post is effective July 1, has been pastor of Fee Fee Baptist Church, St. Louis, Mo., for seven years. His selection was announced by Merrill D. Moore, secretary of stewardship promotion, in whose office Capra will be employed.--(bp) Photo.